


I wanna have your babies

by lirryakalife (orphan_account)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, F/M, M/M, Zerrie/Narry implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-07
Updated: 2013-01-07
Packaged: 2017-11-24 01:27:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/628759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/lirryakalife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis wants to adopt a baby. Liam's not sure. </p><p> </p><p>"Liam hopes that Louis is joking when he talks about having children at the pub, because as much he loves Louis, he really doesn’t think he’s ready to have children. Louis’ too immature and Liam’s too awkward with kids, and they’ve only been together a year and eight months, they still have a lot to learn about each other and revel in it just being the two of them.</p><p>Liam likes children, and looking after Louis’ sisters had been quite nice, but that was partly because he had known that come Sunday afternoon, he and Louis would be on their way home. It wasn’t permanent, but what Louis was babbling on about certainly was.</p><p>“It was like a test,” he tells Liam when they’re curled up in bed together. “To see if you could handle kids. You can! Come on Liam. You love my sisters.""</p>
            </blockquote>





	I wanna have your babies

**Author's Note:**

> Daisy and Phoebe are baby twins in this and Lottie’s sixteen.
> 
> Title from Natasha Bedingfield's "I wanna have your babies".

“Did you get the milk?” Liam came stomping into the living room with his hands on his hips, glaring at Louis who was lazily lying on the sofa scrolling through the channels on the television. It was clear that Louis hadn’t, if the purse of Liam’s lips was anything to go on.

Louis at least had the grace to look guilty. “I, er, was about to go?” he lied, discreetly turning off the television and sitting up on the sofa.

“You’re in your boxers and slippers,” Liam sighed, and then flopped down on the sofa beside Louis. “I can’t even have a cup of tea now, and I have work.”

Louis shrugged; he didn’t think Liam was missing out on much. Liam’s idea of tea was disgusting, way too much sugar and not enough water to go with the milk. “I’ll get it before you go.”

Liam’s fingers curled around Louis’ hips as he shifted so his head was in Louis’ lap. “When you moved in you said you were going to make sure you replaced anything you used the last of,” he accused, but he wasn’t angry. Not really. Liam let Louis get away with everything.

“You said you were going to chill out and stop moaning so much,” Louis retorted, and now that Liam was settled in his lap he figured it was alright if he turned the television back on and so he did.

Living with Louis Tomlinson was a nightmare at the best of times (Liam tries to complain to Zayn a lot, but Zayn just shrugs and says that he’d tried to warn Liam because Louis had used to be Zayn’s roommate at university) because he never did the dishes, he worked from home so he made the flat filthy and he never remembered to buy the damn milk. He wanted to have sex a lot (he was insatiable) and he always wrapped his entire body around Liam when they slept so Liam had to spend ten minutes getting himself out of Louis’ arms in the mornings without waking Louis up because Liam worked in London, not from home.

But when it is those best of times, Liam has to admit that he does like living with Louis; quite a bit actually. There’s always someone to come home to, someone to talk to about his day and cuddle with when it’s cold (or when it’s warm, Liam just likes to cuddle a lot. So does Louis so they’re a match made in heaven), and Liam would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy sex as much as Louis did. It’s nice in a way, waking up to Louis clinging to him like a limpet, Louis expression lax and almost vulnerable when he’s asleep. It makes Liam feel needed.

It had been natural for Louis to move into Liam’s flat two months after Zayn had introduced the pair of them. It hadn’t meant going that far, considering Liam, Niall, Louis, Harry and Zayn all lived just outside of London, and in all honesty from the first night Liam had woken up with a headache (caused by Harry daring him to do way too many shots) and Louis had been shirtless in the kitchen frying eggs, Louis had a spare toothbrush in Liam’s flat.

One by one, Louis’ items began to appear in Liam’s flat and they just hadn’t left, until one night Louis arrived for their movie date with an overnight bag and announced that he’d stopped the lease on his own flat and said it’d be a good idea for him to move in with Liam. It took about three minutes for Liam to discover that Louis officially living there didn’t make much of a difference- the bugger had basically been living there since the very first night.

It had taken a lot to get used to having someone new in the house, especially one as vibrant as Louis, when they had only known each other for a couple of months and Liam didn’t though how Louis liked his tea (he’d found out the hard way when Louis had spat burning hot tea all over him out of reflex when Liam had made him a cup. Liam still thinks it was an overreaction. Louis disagrees) or that Louis was a bitch to get up in the mornings.

It had been a year and a half now and Louis was still incapable of replacing the milk and biscuits, he still lounged around in his boxers running up the electricity bill, but Liam honestly (clichéd as it sounded) wouldn’t have it any other away. He loves Louis, he loves having him here, and he loves the routine they’ve got into, just him and Louis.

*

“We free this weekend, Li?” Louis had been making dinner (Liam hated it when he did, because he was still half convinced Louis would burn the house down, but as long as Louis stuck to the recipes he’d downloaded from BBC Food, they were pretty safe) and had on his ridiculous apron that said ‘kiss the chef.’ He was humming as he drained the pasta and sloppily squeezed the pasta sauce on top of it in the bowls he’d set outside.

“Er, yeah,” Liam thought for a moment. “Niall mentioned going to the pub, the five of this, but that’s what we do every weekend. Why?”

“Thought we might stay at mum’s place and mind the kids,” Louis said absently. “She hasn’t had a break from them in months and Lottie’s getting to that stage, you know? Mum texted earlier saying she spent the night holding her head over the toilet whilst she was sick.”

“We’re not going to be doing that are we?” Liam said anxiously, because he liked Louis’ oldest sister very much but the thought of spending the weekend dealing with a drunk teenage girl was not appealing- it never had been for Liam (he’d always preferred dealing with drunk boys).

Louis squeezed past Liam as he put the bowls on the table and Liam started putting knives and forks onto the table. They were silent for a moment, barely noticing how well they worked together and what a good routine they had. “Lottie won’t do that while we’re there. It’s the twins we’ve got to watch out for; they’ll refuse to get out of your lap and then they pee on you.”

Liam frowned. “You’re really not selling this idea of a weekend away to me.” He tasted the pasta, cautious even though Louis’ cooked him enough meals by now for Liam to know it’s edible and quite nice. Liam just still hasn’t recovered from the prank Harry and Louis had played on him, where they poured half a bottle of hot pepper sauce into his fish and chips. He still has the mental scars.

Louis dug in to his food immediately, getting sauce on his chin in a way that he thought was endearing, but made Liam think of Jurassic Park. He grins up at Liam because he knows that eventually Liam’s going to agree to go the Louis’ mum’s for the weekend for two reasons: one, he’s completely whipped on Louis (Louis’ proud of himself for managing to get someone as genuine and sweet as Liam whipped on him, Zayn had said it would never happen) and two, he adores Louis’ mum. “You love my sisters.”

Liam frowns, wondering to himself why he loves Louis so much because when he agrees to go, Louis gives him a sloppy kiss and gets sauce all over Liam’s face.

*

It turns out that Louis is brilliant with kids, and well. Liam is not. He refuses to wipe the snot off Daisy’s nose -she has a stuffy cold- because the thought made him want to join Lottie in the bathroom and be sick. Louis glares at him as he wipes it himself with Liam’s favourite handkerchief.

Watching Louis is actually quite awe inspiring. He marches up to the front door whilst Liam has to figure out a way to balance two small suitcases (Louis’) and a small overnight bag (Liam’s) up the path because Louis was so intent on getting into the house he doesn’t offer to help. Within minutes he’s managed to send his mum and her boyfriend off out to a hotel for the weekend ad he’s already got one of the twins on his lap.

Liam stares at Phoebe, who watches him like Jesus has just come into her home. He’s completely unprepared for her to attach herself to his leg and refuse to let go until he bends down and awkwardly picks her up, not knowing where on earth to put his hands and then settling for having one on her bum to keep her secured, and the other hooked under her legs.

The silver lining is that Lottie’s staying with her friends for the weekend so he doesn’t have to worry about dealing with her when she’s drunk. He settles on the sofa next to Louis who’s playing Humpty Dumpty with Daisy, the baby screaming with delight, waving her chubby fists in the air. Phoebe looks at Liam expectantly so he wobbles her about on his lap a bit, a bit lamely, but she seems elated regardless and gives him a sloppy kiss on the cheek (Liam figures sloppy kisses are a Tomlinson thing).

It’s like Louis’ in his element with the children though, and Liam has never seen him like this. He loves it, his face in a beam even when he’s been playing ‘peek-a-boo!’ with Daisy for forty five minutes straight. He’s so good with children and he adores them, you can see it in his face and it’s beautiful for Liam to watch. He gets completely distracted watching Louis give Daisy piggy backs across the room but he’s brought back to earth pretty quickly.

There’s a warmth in his lap, and it’s spreading. He looks down accusingly at Phoebe who’s smiling innocently up at him, clapping her hands and shouting “Li!”

*

“I told you she would,” Louis laughs at Liam when he looks up from playing trains with Daisy and Liam’s holding Phoebe out an arm’s length away from him, a disgruntled look on his face. “She just needs her nappy changed.”

Liam frowns, because he’s never changed a nappy in his life and his jeans have a damp patch on them, and he doesn’t understand why because surely the whole point of nappies is they prevent leakages? Trust Louis’ sisters to have super pee. But he looks down at Phoebe, who is smiling up at him so genuinely, her arms flapping in the air as she tries to apparently swim her way back into his arms. When she realises he’s not going to take her back, her face scrunches up and she starts wailing: Liam almost drops her in shock.

“What did I even do?!” he whines to Louis, who rolls his eyes and turns away from Daisy long enough to point at Phoebe.

“She wants you to hold her, idiot. Have you never been around a child before?”

“But she’s all wet,” Liam protests. “She’ll get pee on me.”

Louis just scowls at Liam until he brings Phoebe closer to his chest and strokes her back, and she stops crying and starts sucking on her thumb. Liam thinks she’s actually quite sweet when she’s not using him like her own personal toilet.

-

Louis teaches Liam how to change Phoebe’s nappy, standing above him as Liam fumbles with the powder and the wipes, Phoebe waving her legs in the air. Liam immediately turns his smile into a frown: he can’t help but smile at her, she’s adorable and she’s so easily amused, just like her older brother.

“Fuck,” Liam curses when he gets the tape of the nappy stuck on the chubby flesh of Phoebe’s thigh, and he has to throw it away and get another one. “This is impossible.”

“Please don’t swear around my sisters,” Louis says pleasantly, which is rich considering Daisy’s been saying ‘tight-arse’ since the minute Louis had walked in the door, because Louis tends to refer to Liam as ‘tight-arse’ rather than his actual name.

“Help me then,” Liam shoots back, finally managing to stick the nappy down properly. He kisses Phoebe’s little belly as he buttons up her baby grow, and she screams with delight and tries to press wet kisses on his cheek. Liam doesn’t even try and hide how cute he finds her at this point, and he picks her up and swoops her in for a cuddle.

“There,” he said with satisfaction. “Don’t you dare pee again until we leave.”

Louis watches Liam with a tiny smile on his face, the way his broad shouldered boyfriend holds his baby sister so gently, lets her nibble on his fingers, and doesn’t even moan when she gets her snotty nose all over his favourite t-shirt (although why he wore that shirt when he had planned on being with the two girls all weekend, Louis didn’t know).

-

Lottie stomps into the house later that evening with a scowl on her face, face fixated on her iPhone, not speaking a word to Louis or Liam, or her two baby sisters. Liam thinks she looks furious, but Louis says that’s just how she looks all the time these days. She’s not due to come home until Sunday, and Louis agrees that something probably happened, but if Lottie hadn’t said anything the moment she came into the house, it meant she didn’t want to talk about it.

Liam and Louis have been sitting on the sofa with Disney channel on for over an hour, Daisy now cradled in Liam’s arms, Phoebe in Louis’. They’re feeding the twins their bottles, and Liam is marvelling at how solid their bodies feel, even though they’re both so tiny. It’s nice, just sitting quietly next to each other, the two girls feeding on their bottles and not fussing like they had been all day.

“Lot-tieeeee!” Louis screamed from his position on the sofa, disgruntling Phoebe who threw her head back and started howling (Louis was clearly used to this, as he didn’t pay any attention to it). “There’s pizza in the freezer if you want something to eat.”

There’s no reply.

“Lottie!”

Liam glares at Louis and covers Daisy’s ears. “You’re upsetting the babies,” he snaps, and then he stops and realises he’s acting like he’s a mother and he and Louis are a married couple. The thought sets him off on a spiral of thoughts and he misses the next part of the conversation until he hears Lottie scream:

“Go away Louis, and leave me alone! You’re so annoying!”

Louis goes silent.

-

It’s obvious that Lottie’s outburst has upset Louis, because he sits quietly for the rest of the evening, not even complaining when Liam turns the channel to ‘Top Gear’ because it’s his favourite show. Usually if Liam does this at home Louis will wrestle him for the remote, straddling his hips and threatening a week long ban on blow jobs if Liam doesn’t put Eastenders back on right this instant.

Liam doesn’t like seeing Louis upset, because it’s not normal- Louis’ the one who can shrug off insults the best, the one who doesn’t care what people think of him. Since the moment he’d gotten here he’d been smiling and dealing with the twins amazingly, not getting upset when Daisy started weeing whilst he was actually changing her nappy, or whining when she puked all over his back when he was burping her after her dinner.

He doesn’t say a word to Louis, but passes Daisy over to him (she immediately clunks her sister over the head with her first and then kisses the spot she’s just hit) and walks up the stairs, a look of determination on his face.

-

“Lottie?”

Lottie’s bedroom door is open, which is weird because normally she has it slammed shut and she has a homemade sign “fuck off” on it, which Jay has thrown away many times before. Lottie doesn’t seem to listen to anyone anymore, doing her own thing and rebelling and generally being a nightmare. Jay’s at the end of her tether with her.

Liam pushes the door open, hoping that if the door is half open then she’s not half naked or anything.

No, it’s worse.

Lottie’s lying face down on her bed and she’s sobbing, mascara running down her cheeks (is she even old enough for make up? Liam wondered) wearing an old night gown, her hair in bunches. It’s the youngest and most vulnerable Liam’s seen her look in a long time.

“Lottie babe, what’s up?” Liam perches on the edge of her bed and rubs her shoulder. “You really upset Louis.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Lottie hiccupped. “I know I’m a nightmare and I’m annoying and I should probably move out.”

“You’re sixteen,” Liam reminded her patiently. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I’ve just had the most shittest night,” Lottie groans, turning over and wiping her eyes. “I really am sorry for being so rude to Louis.”

Liam actually hadn’t thought as far as actually having a conversation with Lottie. He’d just been cross and wanted her to say sorry to Louis, but now she was confiding in him and he’s definitely not the right person for this. But he doubts Lottie wants to talk to Louis right now.

“Want to talk about it?” he asks nervously, holding out his arms. He thinks maybe she would like a cuddle, because that’s what Louis demands when he’s upset and he wants Liam to comfort him, and Liam figures that the Tomlinson siblings are all so alike that Lottie would probably appreciate the same thing.

She does, but she’s more awkward about it than Louis is. Lottie lets Liam put his arms on her shoulders, and she leans into his touch, a tiny bit. “I had an argument with my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend!” Liam hadn’t meant to shout, but Lottie’s admission had left him in shock and he immediately slaps his hand over his mouth in case Louis hears him. And by the sounds of it, Louis has muted the television and is probably trying to listen in on the conversation.

“Don’t tell mum or Louis,” Lottie begs, “They’ll kill me.”

Liam bits his lip, sure that this is probably something he shouldn’t keep a secret. “You said you were at a friend’s house for the weekend.”

Lottie laughs grimly. “Mum would have a field trip if she knew I was with Tom for the weekend,” she admits. “She’d think all sorts of things-”

“Would she be wrong?” Liam asks gently, because there must be a reason that Lottie’s come home early from Tom’s house.

Lottie starts crying again, and Liam takes her into his arms properly and kisses the top of her head, comforting her with soothing words (words he’s heard his mother say to his sisters when they’ve had bad break ups).

“Boys only want one thing,” Lottie says brokenly, and Liam wants to kill whoever this Tom bloke is, that had tried to take advantage of Lottie.

He realises he’s protective over her as if she’s his own child.

-

On the way home, Louis puts his hand over Liam’s on the steering wheel. “You were amazing with the girls,” he says. “Thank you for looking after them with me.”

The rest of the weekend had passed with no more problems. Lottie had tearfully said sorry to Louis over breakfast and had even smiled when Louis had told her that he’s planned fifteen ways of killing Tom already (Liam can’t keep secrets, especially not from Louis).

Daisy and Phoebe had seemed to sense that something was up with Lottie and they’d been quiet too, content with just lying around in Liam’s arms all weekend and blowing him wet little kisses.

Liam found that he wasn’t as bad with children as he had thought, and he’d been immensely proud when he’d managed to change Daisy’s nappy without having to have Louis with him to help.

“They were no trouble,” Liam smiles back, turning left down the road. “Want to stop off at the pub before going home? Zayn’s there, he texted me earlier.”

“Sure,” Louis shrugged. “I meant it. I know what a nightmare Lottie can be. She wouldn’t have told me or mum about Tom, so thank you for whatever the hell you did to manage to get her to confide in you. She’s not normally like that.”

Liam blushed and looked out of the window to try and hide it. “She was really upset. I doubt she would have noticed who the hell I was, she just needed someone to talk to.”

“Stop being modest, Liam Payne.”

-

Zayn, Niall and Harry are all sitting in their usual table in the pub when Louis and Liam wander in, holding hands. There are at least six empty pint glasses in front of them, and three filled to the brim.

“It’s three in the afternoon,” Liam protested as he sat down, and Louis immediately sat on his lap, wrapping his arms around Liam’s waist (Liam rolls his eye but doesn’t protest because Louis clearly has no intention of moving from Liam’s lap for a while).

“Some of them were here before we were,” Niall shrugs. “Stop being a spoilsport. How’s Lottie, Lou? Still in training bras?” he winks at Louis, and Liam hits him on the shoulder on Louis’ behalf (Louis says thank you by sucking a love bite into Liam’s shoulder, which Liam hardly appreciates but it is Louis after all).

“I can’t believe you actually convinced Liam to spend the weekend with those terrors,” Harry looked at Louis admiringly. Harry’s still shocked that Louis has managed to snag a boy as decent and genuine as Liam, and he’s good in bed, which is completely unfair because Louis burps in peoples’ faces for a laugh and he has smelly feet.

Niall’s not surprised, because he’s known Liam since they were both in nappies and Liam’s the sort of person that falls in love extremely easily and gives everything he has to said person. Liam would probably move in with Louis’ sisters if Louis asked him to. “You missed Zayn getting drunk and dancing on the tables.”

“I did no such thing,” sneers Zayn, and it’s the first thing he’s said since Liam and Louis walked in. “I stepped up to see the door, that’s all. Don’t lie.”

“He thrust his hips and everything,” Harry immediately takes Niall’s side, and within seconds he’s bowled over with laughter and he’s trying to tell them the story, but in typical Harry style, he speaks so slowly and laughs so much that Louis and Liam lose interest before he even gets to the good part. “And- then… he was like. Did Perrie see me?”

Liam looks at Harry incredulously (the youngest boy has his face on the table and is giggling softly to himself). “How much has he had to drink?” he demands of Zayn, who shrugs and merely pushes Harry so that his head is in Niall’s lap.

“I’ve decided I want kids,” Louis announces out of the blue and Liam almost asks him how much he’s had to drink, too.

“I can’t get pregnant,” he says stupidly, and isn’t surprised when all of the boys ignore him and instead raise their eyebrows at Louis.

“I think maybe you should talk to Liam about this,” Zayn drawls, referring to the fact Liam’s face has gone bright red and he looks like he’s about to start choking.

“Is this a joke?” is all Harry can say.

“No,” Louis insists stubbornly, taking a sip of Niall’s bitter pint. “Liam’s good with my sisters. We’d be fantastic parents.”

“You forgot to show for a week and a half in university,” Zayn points out. “You can’t look after a baby. Liam works, so he can’t either.”

“Lottie likes Liam!”

Even Niall looks surprised at that.

-

Liam hopes that Louis is joking when he talks about having children at the pub, because as much he loves Louis, he really doesn’t think he’s ready to have children. Louis’ too immature and Liam’s too awkward with kids, and they’ve only been together a year and eight months, they still have a lot to learn about each other and revel in it just being the two of them.

Liam likes children, and looking after Louis’ sisters had been quite nice, but that was partly because he had known that come Sunday afternoon, he and Louis would be on their way home. It wasn’t permanent, but what Louis was babbling on about certainly was.

“It was like a test,” he tells Liam when they’re curled up in bed together. “To see if you could handle kids. You can! Come on Liam. You love my sisters.”

“That’s because they aren’t ours!” Liam points out. “You can’t just sit in the pub with all our friends- and come out with something like that out of the blue- we need to talk about this, plan things properly. It’s too soon for all this Louis and you saw how awkward I was with the girls. I’m not ready to be a dad- I’m only twenty one!”

Louis is so spontaneous and normally Liam loves that, loves how life with Louis is never boring and he never knows what’s going to happen next. But it’s so typical of Louis to make a massive decision like this without consulting anyone or thinking about it properly.

“We both work, for one,” Liam points out. “I’m out five days a week at the office, and you’re working on your novel… we don’t even have time for a puppy. Remember when you wanted one of those… last month?”

Louis had whined at Liam that he was lonely and that he wanted a puppy, but Liam had pointed out that Louis and Liam go out every weekend with the boys and wouldn’t be able to look after a puppy. It seemed like Louis had completely forgotten that.

“How do I know this isn’t just one of your fleeting wants?” Liam demanded. “Getting a baby isn’t a light decision, Lou. That’s a lifetime commitment!”

“I made one to you didn’t I?” Louis snapped, turning away from Liam. “You just don’t want one because that means you’d be tied to me forever, and don’t you just hate the sound of that?”

“That’s not fair, Louis,” Liam said patiently. “I love you. Why else would I put up with your tantrums and inability to buy the milk?”

Louis didn’t turn around. “You don’t want my kids?”

“I told you already,” Liam sighed. “I can’t get pregnant, Louis!”

-

**_Two months later_ **

****

Liam is having a breakdown and they haven’t even signed any paperwork yet. It’s all Louis’ fault- he deserves a medal for how amazing he is at guilt tripping people- or maybe it’s just Liam who falls for it.

Louis dismisses Liam’s worries, and Liam’s starting to think that it doesn’t matter what he says or thinks, Louis’ determined to go through with this. The problem is, Liam’s afraid. He’s afraid of failing the baby, failing Louis. Louis doesn’t understand that Liam can’t handle permanently being around kids, and he’s genuinely petrified about all this.

He’s not like Louis, who makes a decision and works hard to make it damn well work, he thinks things over too much and thinks of all of the things that could go wrong, and so far the list of things that could go wrong with this is longer than his arm.

Louis’ loving this. He’s been sitting on the horribly uncomfortable chair speaking to the woman wearing red rimmed glasses and a flowery blouse about what they’re looking for, and why they’d be suitable parents despite the fact neither of them have a X chromosome.

There are lots of papers to sign and confusing questions to answer and Liam’s near the brink of a mental breakdown at the end of it because it’s just sunk in that in three months, it won’t just be the three of them.

There’s going to be three of them in Liam’s flat, and oh god- kids need a garden, don’t know? They’ll have to move house which will be expensive, along with sorting out schools and clothes and e _verything._

Louis’ just thinking about the actual child, and Liam feels like at least one of them needs to point out the obvious. They don’t know a thing about looking after kids long term.

If they had a boy, maybe it would have been easier, but it’s a girl that’s chosen out for them and Liam knows that Louis’ fallen in love the second he lays eyes on here.

Her name’s Jess, and she’s been in foster care for a year waiting to be adopted by a suitable parent. She has brown curly hair, and chocolate wide eyes (Louis says she looks the spitting image of Liam, and that he can’t resist).

They only have pictures of her, because it’s unsettling for the children to meet lots of prospective parents for it not to go through. They are given a pack that details everything about her, and it sort of makes Liam sad to think that this child’s entire life fits into a thin little book.

Louis’ excited to meet her, and he’s already got his heart set on adopting her (before he’s even looked at any other child). Liam’s just going along with Louis at this point. The girl does seem sweet, but the idea of her actually beings hers and them having to look after her petrifies Liam and he wonders again how the hell he let Louis convince him into doing this.

-

It turns out Jess isn’t the only sibling, and Liam’s heart sinks because he knows what Louis’ reply to that is going to be before he even opens his mouth.

“We can’t separate them! Can we not have both? Li?” Liam doesn’t know why Louis even bothers asking his opinion, as he never listens to him anyway. Liam says he doesn’t want a child, Louis goes ahead and gathers the paperwork. If Liam points out they can’t look after one child, yet alone two, Louis will probably pick Jess and her brother up straight away and be waiting at home for Liam.

“You won’t listen to me no matter what I say,” Liam sighs, and squeezes Louis’ hand. “What do we know about her brother?”

“He’s three months,” Jess’ foster carer says with a sad smile on her face. “It’ll be sad to see them both go- they’re both so sweet. You seem like good people… I’ll be glad if they go to good people.”

Liam’s face pales. A two year old and a three month in their flat… two months ago, he hadn’t even known that Louis wanted a child, and now here they were, potentially signing themselves up to having two.

“Liam, please?”

Liam’s always unable to resist Louis’ begging face.

-

Louis notices that Liam’s quiet and subdued that evening after they’ve signed the paperwork and have a date to ‘look forward to’.

“What’s wrong babe?” Louis kisses Liam’s neck, trying to make Liam turn his head and look Louis in the eye.

“Nothing.”

“If we’re going to be parents, we need to be able to communicate now more than ever,” Louis frowns and pinches Liam’s cheek. “Talk to me.”

“Well, isn’t that sort of the point?” Liam says in a voice that Louis doesn’t like the tone of. He sounds- not angry, but weary. As if he’s had enough. “You say we need to be able to ‘communicate.”

“Yes,” Louis says warily.

“So when did you stop and ask me what I thought about all of this, then? Because apparently missed the memo. Because _you_ were the one who decided out of the blue that you wanted to have a kid, and _you then_ decided to adopt a _second_ without so much as a ‘Hey, Liam, what do you feel about all of this?’”

“I thought- I thought you wanted to have kids with me?”

“I want _you,”_ Liam says sharply. “I want you so I put up with all of the shit you decide- I spent my weekend off with your sisters. I love your sisters and I had a good time, but that’s not the point. Last time I asked you to come with me to my sister’s boyfriend’s dinner, you said you couldn’t be bothered-“

“Because-“

“There’s no _because,_ Louis, it’s unfair. I don’t want to be stuck in a relationship where I’m constantly the one making the effort, it feels one sided and it’s not _fair._ You’ll probably get bored of these kids in twenty minutes-“

“How dare you!” Louis honestly looks hurt, and he flinches away from Liam when he looks apologetic. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life; this isn’t something I’ve just come out with out of the blue. Actually, no, the one thing I want more than anything is y _ou,_ and I know I’m selfish and loud and I hog the bed sheets, and I’m probably too bossy. But I love you, Liam. I love you so much and you _know that,_ I took you to see my sisters- I moved in with you-“

“I don’t want things to change,” Liam says, his voice cracking. “I’m scared that we’ll stop loving each other- that we won’t see the boys anymore- that I’ll be a rubbish dad.”

“You’re scared about being a bad dad?”

“You saw me with Daisy and Phoebe, Louis. Imagine putting a child through that for the rest of its life?”

“I also saw the way you spoke to Lottie, and how much Phoebe and Daisy adored you- more than they’ve adored anyone else I’ve introduced them to, and that includes Harry.”

“There’s two of them, Louis. Two of them.”

Louis shakes his head. “There are two of us babe,” he reminds Liam. “You and me. We’re a team yeah?”

-

The little girl is about two years old, with brown chocolate eyes and hair that reaches the crease of her back. It’s in two ponytails. Her eyes are wide with what looks like fear when Louis bends down to be at her height and smile at her.

“Hi Jess,” he says to her kindly, and she immediately attaches herself to his leg. “I’m Louis, and this is Liam.”

She doesn’t move her head from where it is resting on his leg, and now she wraps her arms around him too. Louis notices she’s shaking.

“Louis,” Liam says helplessly as a sleeping Josh is placed into his arms, a small boy of around three months, sucking on his thumb in his sleep. “Louis.”

“He likes you,” Louis whispers, so as not to wake Josh up. “Just hold him.”

-

Jess gets attached to Louis to the point where she panics if she’s not in the same room as him. She seems very attached to Liam as well, and he can sometimes calm her down if Louis is not there, but both Louis and Liam have accepted the fact that Louis is her favourite.

Josh won’t do _anything_ for Louis. It had been the first time that a child hadn’t listened to what he had to say, wouldn’t settle for him, drink his bottle for him, let him change his nappy.

Liam was the first one that Josh had come into contact with, and he bonded with him just as much as Jess had bonded with Louis. He does also like Louis, but his face never lights up with the smile that it does when Liam sticks his tongue out and kisses him on the cheek.

They’re a family.

“I’m knackered,” Louis says one night, flopping on the sofa. “Jess wouldn’t sleep… called out for her daddy. I assume that’s you, seeing as she only ever calls me dada.”

“She called out for _me?”_

“That was the point where you were supposed to tell me that Josh was pining for me,” Louis frowned, but he giggled at Liam’s horrified look. “I’m only kidding. He let me change his nappy without peeing on me when you were at work this afternoon. I consider this progress.”

“Last time a baby peed on me, you told me to stop being so fussy,” Liam ponders. “Why is this bringing back memories?”

“Memories of before we were old men with two kids,” Louis says almost wistfully. “We’ve proper made a family, haven’t we?”

Liam grins. “Yeah.”

-

_Louis hears crying, and he turns over in bed to whine at Liam that “it’s your child, you go sort him out, and mine’s actually behaving” but there is an empty space next to him, a cold spot where Liam’s body usually is._

_He creeps out of bed into Josh’s room, and standing in the doorway with the door slightly ajar he can see Liam’s back, and the way he’s got little Josh in his hands, one hand supporting his head and the other supporting his bottom._

_Josh’s being rocked back and forth in Liam’s arms, and Liam’s talking. Louis can’t make out the words very clearly at first, but then they become more tangible._

_“Little family aren’t we? You, me, Jess and Louis. Who’d have thought it, eh? You’re going to have to start being a bit nicer to your papa, Joshy. I know you love him; you just have a weird way of showing it. You’re a bit like your papa in that sense; anyone would think you were actually his biological son.”_

_Josh wriggles in Liam’s arms and smiles in content, and Liam grins down at him. “I love you little fella,” he murmurs. “I didn’t think I’d be a very good father but you make me feel like I could kind of do a decent job. I’m not looking forward to you growing up and chasing all of those girls. You better make sure you look after our Jess, yeah? Be a good brother. Now, you’re all quiet like her now aren’t you? Be a big boy and sleep for daddy.”_

_Liam places Josh back into his cradle and then starts humming, singing to him in quiet tones, a song that Louis can’t recognise but that’s not what matters._

_Liam being with their son, so happy and content, that’s what makes Louis start to cry, wipe his eyes and then smile with sheer adoration at his boyfriend and their children. It doesn’t get much better than this._


End file.
